14 Dec 2020

India Aviation Industry Newsletter 14 December

Air India to begin Hyderabad-Chicago non-stop flight service from 15 January Air India will launch its direct flight from the city to Chicago from 15 January The carrier will operate the flight bi-weekly, GMR-led Hyderabad International Airport announced in a press release. The airline will operate Boeing 777-200 aircraft, with a seating capacity of 238 (8 First Class + 35 Business Class + 195 Economy Class) on the route, Hyderabad-US-Hyderabad has been the largest unserved passenger origin and destination market between India and the US, with a potential of over 7,00,000 passengers annually. Hyderabad is a gateway to south and central India, and a preferred and the largest transit hub, said the Hyderabad airport operator. Fitch Expects Gradual Recovery For Indian Aviation With Risk Of Higher Competition Fitch Ratings expects average revenue passenger kilometres for India's airlines to remain 40 per cent below 2019 levels in 2021 despite recovering from being 65 per cent lower in 2020. Domestic passenger traffic remains weak since flights resumed in late May after a two-month restriction with September data showing a 66 per cent year-on-year drop (58 per cent decline for 9M 20). The government restricted airline capacity at 70 per cent of the March level and imposed fare bands until late February 2021. "We expected market leader IndiGo to further consolidate its position from a 60 per cent share of domestic passengers in July due to liquidity pressure at rival airlines," said Fitch. India records fastest air connectivity growth among the top 20 most connected countries in 2019 - IATA India reported the fastest air connectivity growth of 89 percent from 2014 to 2019, among the top 20 most connected countries in the world, according to the Air Connectivity report by International Air Transport Association (IATA) released in November 2020. India climbed up three places to fourth position in 2019 replacing Indonesia. The rise is attributed to the “significant growth in the Indian air transport sector–particularly in the domestic market segment”. Pointing out India’s success, the report highlights policy initiatives--such as the regional connectivity scheme (RCS)-UDAN and other development measures in safety and security, maintenance, repair and overhaul operations--that have played an important role in India’s growth. IndiGo to reach 80% of normal domestic capacity soon IndiGo expects to reach 80% of usual domestic capacity by the end of the month but international capacity is running at just a fth of normal levels because of the pandemic, its chief executive said. The airline hopes to reach 100% of normal domestic capacity by early next year and 100% of its usual international capacity by the end of 2021, Chief Executive Ronojoy Dutta said at a recent CAPA Centre for Aviation online event. Mangaluru airport sees surge in passenger traffic Passenger traffic at Mangaluru International Airport, which plunged to almost nil during the lockdown, is steaming towards full capacity. Authorities expect an increase in passenger flow by the year end, thanks to an increase in domestic and international aircraft movements. Vistara extends its wifi service to Airbus A321neo aircraft Vistara has extended its wifi service to its Airbus A321neo aircraft. In September became the first Indian airline to offer wifi onboard to its passengers. Flights between Delhi and London Heathrow operated by the airline’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft have wifi onboard as a free service, for a limited period of time. The airline has now added the wifi facility to its Airbus aircraft as well. Zurich Airports eyes ‘airport portfolio’ in India Zurich Airport International’s strategic objective is having an ‘airport portfolio’ in India, Daniel Bircher, Chairman and Managing Director, Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL). YIAPL is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, incorporated as a special purpose vehicle to develop the greenfield Delhi Noida International Airport in Jewar, on the outskirts of the capital. Acumen Aviation © 14 December 2020 All Rights Reserved.